Thread brake



Nov. 26, 1940. B.A VAN DEN BERGH l 2222,921

THREAD BRAKE Filed April 5, 1939 1 vu cnaf/Ofc Barend @wn Patented Nov. 26, 1940 UNITED STATES THREAD BRAKE Barend van den Bergh,.Ginneken, Netherlands, assigner to American Enka. Corporation, Enka, N. C., a corporation of Delaware Application April 3, 1939, Serial No. 265,835 In Germany April 8, 1938 4 Claims.

thread having a substantially low degree of twist.

The torque developed in a highly twisted thread tends to' cause the thread to curl and toform loops and/or other defects therein especially when the tension is relaxed thereon. The occur- Y rence of such irregularities forms a critical factor when the thread is used in modern textile knitting and weaving machines. These machines are constructed to operate at high speeds, and consequently the development of -irregularities in the thread during the fabrication operation will greatly hinder the rate of production by causing frequent stoppage of the machines. In addition these irregularities create visible defects in the finished product, which greatly impairs its value and quality. In fact, when using highly twisted rayon thread, such as that having a twist of about 25 turns per inch, in a full fashioned hosiery knitting machine, the defects have proven so troublesome that the use of this thread has been impractical.

The reason why the above mentioned defects;

have been particularly troublesome when using rayon thread of relatively high twist in the manufacture of textile products such as full fashioned hosiery, is due to the fact that in these machines the thread is withdrawn from the supply bobbins in an irregular manner and consequently the tension upon the thread is intermittently relaxed. The invention will therefore be described in connection with its application to full fashioned hosiery machines although it may be employed in conjunction with numerous other fabric manufacturing apparatus. Although the description will also be directed primarily to rayon threads, the invention is applicable to other types of textile threads wherein similar problems are encountered.

It has been discovered that the occurrence of the loops in the thread result from relaxed tension thereon. These loops are of a temporary nature inasmuch as they may be readily removed by the proper application of tension. Of greater importance, however, is the discovery that the for- 5 mation of these loops may be substantially prevented by the constant application of tension to the thread, It has been determined that the loops are not formed in the fabricatingmachine per se but at the point adjacent the supply bobbln where the thread is usually under the least tension. 5

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a novel device for effecting an improved delivery` of highly twisted thread to a y fabric making machine. Y

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for eliminating the occurrence of loops in fabrics produced from rayon thread in full fashioned hosiery machines.

The invention furtherl contemplates a threadbraking device which will permit the withdrawal of the thread under a uniform and constant tensionin all directions.

As an additional object the invention contemplates the provision of means for removing irregularities in the thread at the point where they are formed, which means comprises a minimum of movable parts so as to reduce the possibility of the parts sticking together and thus causing the thread to catch.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein the single figure illustrates a sectional view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention.

Referring specifically to the drawing, a package Ill of highly twisted thread may be arranged so that the thread I I is withdrawn over the top thereof, and delivered to a fabricating machine (not shown in the drawing) via a driven roller I2. The thread package I0 may be supported by a vbase I3 provided with a resilient covering of felt or other suitable flexible material I4. The base I3 and package I0 may be enclosed within a moisture-tight container I5 constructed of glass or 40 other suitable material, and having a cover member I6.

A definite amount of moisture is maintained within the container I5 in order to render the thread supple and more amenable to knitting or weaving operations. Appropriate means may be provided for maintaining a constant moisture content within the container I5. Though not shown in the drawing, the moisture may be pro' vided by a water reservoir in the base I3, spray nozzle, or other suitable means.

The cover member I6 is provided with an opening at the top to accommodate a cup-shaped funnel I1. The funnel Il is positioned in axial alignment with the center of the package holder Cil I8. The hollow interior of the funnel I'l is enlarged at the top to receive a spherical member I9, such as a spheroid or ball which may be formed of metal and/or glass, quartz or other suitable materials. The ball I9 has a diameter greater than the interior diameter of the lower portion of the funnel I1 and accordingly is retained therein to effect a closure of the opening. The funnel I'l and ball I9 coact to provide a removable thread guide and tensioning or braking assembly.

In operation, the thread` Il is withdrawn from the package l0 and passed through the opening in the funnel l1 and thence around the roller I2 in the direction of the arrow, to a fabricating machine (not shown). As the thread Il passes through the funnel I1 itis maintained under a constant tension by virtue of the braking action of the ball I9. The weight of the ball I9 may be such that it will maintain the thread Il under the proper amount of tension for the particular thread that is being used. The tension imposed should be sufficient to prevent the formation of loops and the like and should not impair the even passage of the thread ll to the machine.

Whereas in the preferred embodiment of the invention a single ball I9 is shown, it will be readily understood that a number of balls, spheroids, or the like, may be employed to alter the tension. An important feature of the invention resides in the deliverance of pressure by at least one relatively curved surface against the thread so as to maintain a substantially constant tension thereon at practically all times. This form oi' braking has the advantage that it will not stop or hook the thread at any time and the pressure acts the same in all directions in order to uniformly tension the thread as it passes through the funnel.

Although the present invention has been described in its preferred form, it is to `be understood that many modifications may be made in the form thereof. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except as necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A tensioning device for use in eliminating loops in a highly twisted, multi-filament, delicate rayon, thread in its passage from a thread package to a fabricating machine comprising, a base for supporting a thread package, an up- 'wardly flared seat directly above the packageA support through Which the thread passes in its travel to the fabricating machine, pressure means for applying a braking action upon the thread as it passes through the seat. and non-frictional guide means positioned in substantial alignment above the seat for guiding the thread over the pressure means, whereby the pressure applied by the pressure means will exclusively control the tension to which the thread is subjected.

2. A tensioning device for use in eliminating;

loops in a highly twisted, multi-filament, delicate rayon thread in its passage from a thread package to a fabricating machine comprising, a base for supporting a thread package, an upwardly flared seat directly above the package support through which the thread passes in its travel to the fabricating machine, a weighted ball for applying a braking action upon the thread as it passes through the seat, and a roller positioned in substantially vertical alignment abovethe seat for guiding the thread around a portion of the surface of the weighted ball, whereby the pres sure applied by said ball will directly control the tension to which the thread is subjected.

3. A tensioning device for use in eliminating loops in a highly twisted, multi-filament, delicate rayon thread in its passage from a thread package to a fabricating machine comprising, a base for supporting a thread package, an up` wardly flared seat directly above the 'package support through which the thread passes in its travel to the fabricating machine, a weighted ball for applying a braking action upon the thread as it passes through the seat, and a driven roller positioned in substantially vertical alignment above the seat for drawing the thread around a portion of the surface of the weighted ball, whereby the pressure applied by said ball will directly control the tension to which the thread is subjected.

4. A tensioning device for use in eliminating loops in a highlytwisted thread in its passage from a thread package to a fabricating machine comprising, a sealed compartment constituting a support and water-proof housing adapted to maintainhumidity conditions adjacent a thread.

package, an upwardly ared seat mounted in said housing directly above the thread package in an axial direction through which the thread passes in its ltravel to the fabricating machine, a -weighted ball for applying a braking act-ion upon the thread as it passes through the seat, and a driven roller positionedin vertical alignment above the seat for guiding the thread around a portion ,of the surface of the Weighted ball,

whereby the pressure applied by said ball will exclusively control the tension to which the thread is subjected,

BAREND VAN DEN BERGH. 

